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Across Newham, many young people report feeling unsafe due to a combination of factors that shape their daily lives. Youth violence remains a significant concern, with social pressures and the influence of gang culture leaving some young people vulnerable to exploitation and criminal activity. Knife crime continues to have a devastating impact, while issues such as poor lighting, isolated streets and limited adult supervision can contribute to young people feeling at greater

St Francis Leprosy Guild is the UK’s Catholic leprosy charity. Inspired by our patron saint, St Francis of Assisi, we have cared for people with leprosy for 130 years. We operate in twelve countries in Africa, Asia, and Brazil, where leprosy is endemic. By supporting over thirty leprosy centres and projects, we play our part in caring for those affected by the disease and working towards a leprosy-free world. We fund research projects, hospitals, rehabilitation centres and ca

In September/October, CHESS Homeless will once again be collecting food donations as part of their Harvest appeal. In recent years, CHESS Homeless have unfortunately seen a decline in donations, and so they are reaching out early in the hope of working together to make this year’s collection as impactful as possible. Food donations are incredibly important to the charity and make a direct difference in three key ways: Supporting rough sleepers – Their Outreach Team works dire

Written by Louis Hopton. Louis is a member of SVP1833 at Durham Catholic Society (Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle) and his home Diocese is Westminster Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Madrid brought millions together to celebrate their Catholic faith. Seven of us from the young adult community of the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP1833) joined thirty other wonderful young adult Vincentians from across Europe. A real highlight of the pilgrimage, was the meeting at the Society’s office

St Peter’s Catholic Primary School in Billericay recently hosted its first-ever Catholic Social Teaching (CST) Showcase, bringing together pupils, families, and staff to celebrate the principles at the heart of Catholic life. The hall was filled with work from across the school, and each class offered an interactive activity, allowing families to experience Catholic Social Teaching in action. Highlights from each year group included: Reception – Human Dignity: pupils created

This week, Siân (Director, Caritas Brentwood) and Michael (Development Officer, Caritas Brentwood) travelled to Westminster Cathedral Hall to attend Called to Act, a day conference for Catholic schools organised by Citizens UK. The day itself was an amazing gathering of Catholic member schools of Citizens UK, with schools from across the country. We were proud to see schools from our Diocese there as well, including: St Bonaventure’s Secondary, All Saints Secondary, St Angela

The following article and images were taken from the Diocese of Brentwood website. On Saturday 4 July 2026 Bishop Alan Williams ordained Deacon Andrei Ilies to the priesthood in Brentwood Cathedral. Deacon Andrei, who is originally from Romania, studied at the Beda College in Rome. He was a nurse for 15 years before his studies for the priesthood. Deacon Andrei was on pastoral placement last summer in the Cathedral Parish. Many friends and relatives of Andrei from Romania, to

Welcome to Papal Insights for this month! In June, the Holy Father made an Apostolic Visit to Spain, highlighted by his visit to the grand Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona, but also visiting Tenerife, through which many migrants and refugees arrive or pass through – many of them having faced exploitation or human trafficking in the process. General Audience – 17th June Having returned from his visit to Spain, the Pope Leo XIV spent his weekly Wednesday audience at St Pe

Welcome to our monthly round-up for the month of June 2026! Siân (Director of Caritas Brentwood) has been out and about this month, continuing engagement with our amazing diocesan secondary schools, check out some of the highlights down below. Also, as you may have already seen, Siân and Michael were in Rome for the CSAN Leadership Conference at the beginning of the month. In case you haven’t had a chance to read about what we got up to yet, our articles about the conference

The following article was written by Liz Bishop, a parishioner and youth group leader at Basildon Parish. The following article was written by Liz Bishop, a parishioner and youth group leader at Basildon Parish. On Friday 22nd May, I had the privilege of joining Caritas Southwark and Westminster for a Walk for Justice and Peace. We began our day with breakfast at the London Jesuit Centre next to Farm Street Church, and I was able to meet my fellow pilgrims. The atmosphere was

The new resource produced by two dicasteries delves into how care for our common home can be lived in out in our families. The document was part of a joint commitment between the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, with the aim of welcoming and responding to the appeals of Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV to listen to the cry of the poor and the cry of the Earth and to act accordingly. The resource offers guidelines to

During the Caritas Social Action Network Conference Flourishing Together: Building Compassionate Communities, with a very early start on the morning of Wednesday 3rd June, Siân and Michael from the Caritas Brentwood team alongside other attendees, joined thousands in St Peter’s Square for the weekly General Audience with Pope Leo XIV. Each week, people travel from every corner of the world with different languages, ages, cultures and stories to hear what the Pope has to say,